Monday, March 20, 2006

Duck And Cover -- Trash On The Way

Joe Cavallo is perhaps the slimiest lawyer in America. Think of that for a moment. The slimiest lawyer in America. Breathtaking, isn't it?

Cavallo, for those of you lucky enough to have never been exposed to him, defended Greg Heidl and two other boys accused of ... well, let their video tell the story, as described by the LATimes:

The videotape, with Haidl running the camera, depicts the boys violating her limp body with a host of objects, including a pool cue, a lighted cigarette and a Snapple bottle.

They drugged her, they raped her, they violated her for their criminal, juvenile jollies, and Cavallo defended them. He did what you'd expect of a particularly obnoxious defense attorney: He portrayed Jane Doe as an aspiring porn star.

But he went much further, allegedly even going outside the courtroom to harass her. His investigators allegedly posted flyers in her neighborhood revealing her identity, and after she moved to another high school, it has been charged that they stood in that school's parking lot, calling out her name as "Jane Doe."

Again, that was a high school parking lot. It was a girl they were intimidating, not a woman.

Now Cavallo has been named in a $26 million civil lawsuit brought by Jane Doe, as have Heidl, the two other boys, and Heidl's wealthy father, in whose home the rape occured. Heidl the elder is more than just a deep pocket: he hired Cavallo and pushed for an aggressive defense of rapist son, at the expense of Jane Doe's mental health.

The civil trial, which no doubt will be covered 24/7 by our cable news industry -- is going to be a doozy -- disgusting, provocative, profane. And leading the charge into all these profoundly disturbing areas will be Joe Cavallo, who is defending himself. I hope he loses his shirt.

"Thank you for the "Voice of the Victims films. The students really liked them, and it means so much to them to hear real stories and not watch a cheesy drama like so many other videos."
— High school teacher.